U.S. Pat. No. 3,413,942 discloses a sewing machine having a device for winding sewn workpieces connected to one another by thread chains. This winding device makes it possible to store a large number of sewn workpieces leaving the sewing machine without the danger of entanglement. Thus, the workpieces may be separated from one another with a small expenditure of time when the sewing machine is inoperative. The construction of the sewing device includes a sewing machine mounted displaceably on link arms in order to be moved along the circumference of a turntable installed with workpiece holders and guide templates by the coaction of the latter with a non-intermittently driven magnetic roller. As the turntable continues to rotate a thread chain is produced so that the successively sewn workpieces are connected to one another. The such connected workpieces then are wound on vertical rods as parts of a rotary body rotate about a vertical axis. At equal angular sectioning of the turntable and the rotary body, the device may be used also to remove sorted workpieces, e.g. workpieces of different patterns.
From the U.S. Pat. No. 2,492,925 it is known to successively sew workpieces and to even connect them to one another at a first work station by keeping the sewing machine running when a workpiece is not present. The connected workpieces are then fed to a second work station by means of a chute. At this work station a further workpiece is stitched to the first one as also a further thread chain is formed.
Due to the kind of transport the positions of the workpieces are maintained, i.e. order and sequence are maintained. After termination of sewing the workpieces connected to one another by thread chains are then stored, for example in a carton.
From the U.S. Pat. No. 3,670,679 it is known to wind an endless tape of cuff lining material off a reel. Behind the reel there are arranged two stacks in order to place on cuff cuts. A first sewing machine stitches the cuts of cuffs onto the tape of cuff lining material. A second sewing machine stitches the cut of cuff adjacent to the tape onto the tape of cuff lining as a succeeding operation. Subsequently this endless tape is wound up again on a reel.